TUF 16 Weekly Recap - Episode 3

Weekly recaps of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson, airing Fridays on FX at 10 p.m. ET/PT, with re-airs on FUEL TV Sunday nights, UltimateFighter.com a week after that and UFC.tv.

After recapping the events of the previous week, the episode opens with Coach Carwin beaming (well, for him) like a proud poppa that his fighter picked up the win. He’s glad to have fight control and doesn’t plan on losing it soon. Coach Nelson hopes that the loss will spark a fire under his guys and force them to stay on their toes since any one of them could be in the Octagon next.

Back at the house, Colton Smith joins Julian Lane as members of the Matt Secor fan club. Smith tells Secor that he can’t wait to see him get his ass kicked while Secor retorts with a solid, “You were an ugly baby” burn. Nic Herron-Webb creates more household enemies when he decides that 2:00 am is the perfect time to play pool, whistle and jump rope outside people’s bedrooms. Mike Ricci comes out looking like a Calvin Klein model and asks him to knock it off. Ever the expert at analzying social situations, Matt Secor tells us that, “Nobody likes the kid.”

Cut to the UFC gym and it’s fight announcement time. Team Carwin decides to pit their number one pick Sam Alvey against Team Nelson’s Joey “Boom Boom” Rivera. Dana thinks this is a great choice. He believes that based on the fights to get in the house -- in which Alvey scored an early knockout while Rivera struggled to go the distance -- Smilin’ Sam will take this one easily.

After Heron-Webb receives more grief about his late-night antics -- this time from his own teammates -- we get a glimpse at the two fighters competing. Joey Rivera won’t earn himself a spot on the Arizona state tourism board with his statement that there isn’t much to do out there besides train or go to bars. Nelson seems as unimpressed with Rivera, saying that he’s a solid mixed martial artist, but doesn’t really shine at anything.

Sam Alvey tells us how he met his fiancé. It’s your usual cliched love story about an MMA fighter/purveyor of steak on a stick and an America's Next Top Model winner/bodice vendor who meet at the Bristol Renaissance Faire. While Sam gushes about young love, Julian Lane, Colton Smith and Nic Herron-Webb take his mattress from his bedroom and float it on the pool outside. Sam just gives an “Aw shucks” laugh and ignores it. Igor Araujo finds this prank to be over the line and disrespectful. Bristol Marunde says it’s “bad karma” but neither one of them help to get it back and Sam ends up sleeping on the couch that night.

Weigh-ins are next where both fighters make weight, Rivera on the first try and Sam after dropping his gladiatorial leather undergarments. Fighters give their predictions ranging from Julian Lane’s, “Sam can’t handle that grown man strength,” to James Chaney’s, “I like Joey, but no way he wins.” After a commercial break, Joey Rivera TMIs about having sex before a fight and uses the words ejaculation and spiritual energy in the same sentence. Sam Alvey gives an equally profound thought with his strategy: “hit him harder and more often than he hits me."

Fight TimeRound one begins with Joey Rivera throwing a big head kick that lands. He throws another head kick and lands that one, too. He continues the momentum by shooting in and getting the takedown. He soon takes Alvey’s back and goes for the rear naked choke. Alvey stands, Rivera releases the hooks and puts Alvey on his back again. Sam soon gets to his feet but then finds himself in an arm triangle. Working off the fence, Rivera locks a guillotine, Sam escapes but finds himself in another guillotine attempt. Alvey finally gets his head free and achieves top position with little time left. He gets a couple punches off before the bell, but round one is all Rivera.

Before the second round begins, you can see that Rivera is clearly gassed. Unfortunately, Alvey is unable to capitalize. They spend the majority of the round against the fence with Rivera holding Sam in a lazy standing guillotine attempt. After Herb Dean breaks them apart, Rivera stuns Sam with another head kick and puts him on his back. They both make it to their feet and then spend more time against the fence. Just like the first round, Alvey gets great top position towards the end, but the round ends before he can capitalize.

The judges' scorecards come in and it’s Joey RIvera by majority decision (19-19, 20-18, 20-18). Alvey must still be dizzy because he thinks he won both rounds and blocked the head kicks. In the locker rooms Shane Carwin speaks from the heart, saying, “It’s heart-wrenching for me to see one of our guys lose the possibility of their dream,” and somehow compares it to the Marine motto of leaving no man behind. Affable Roy Nelson attributes the Rivera victory to the fact that "he [expletive] listened."

As the episode ends we get a sneak peak into next week’s show. Which Team Nelson member draws the short straw? What’s Dana White’s surprise? Who will win the presidency of the Matt Secor fan club? Find out next week! Until then, here’s the season at a glance.

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Jul 7, 2015

Chad Mendes continues to train hard in Sacramento, motivated by the magnitude of the upcoming event. His opponent Conor McGregor does the same in Las Vegas, capping his day with a big-city display of fireworks.

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Chad Mendes trades the gym for a pool to test his endurance. Conor McGregor enjoys a poolside massage and adds a few unexpected weapons to his arsenal. Plus, Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald do some final prep at home.

Jul 5, 2015

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